Chest, box, or container



June 2, 1936. H. H. YAWMAN OR CONTAINER CHEST, BOX

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 27, 1955 a W vm H. w M

Juil Z, 1936. YAwMAN 2,042,693

CHEST, BOX, OR CONTAINER Filed Sept. 27, 19:55 5 Shets-Sheet 2.

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\ Harvey H Yawman,

June 2, 1936.

H. H. YAWMAN 2,042,693

CHEST, BOX, OR CONTAINER Filed Sept. 27, 1935 s Sheets-Sheet 5 7 W c 15- D, m j I i t l w 17 1'14? H\\\\\\""*W*' l 3- MM M y II ll. A l, 2 L8 6'11: HM 1' z; s'l

"U1. {I I I 'Haryey 1. Yawn nr m Patented June 2, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHEST, BOX, OR CONTAINER Application September 2'7, 1935, Serial No. 42,504

12 Claims.

This invention relates to chests or boxes and particularly to that type frequently called utility chests or boxes.

One object of the invention is to provide a metal or other portable chest or containerfor the accommodation of fishing tackle,.nails, tools, money, jewelry, paper or other articles, in which the structure embodies a chest or box body and a cover hinged thereto, and connected with which is a tray movable into andout of the body under the influence of opening and closing movements of the cover and in such a manner as to avoid direct contact or engagement of the tray with the body or with the cover and yet positively effeet the limit of. outward swinging movement of the tray and cover beyond a predetermined-degree, such as would ordinarily tend to cause or permit an easy upsetting of the chest or container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chest, box body or container of'the-nature stated, embodying among other 7 characteristics, a demountable tray and by means of a combinedpivotal means and a stopso connected to the cover and the tray as to provide for a free and easy swinging movement of the tray intoand out of the chest, box or container body and arrest the outward swinging movement of the cover, effectively suspendingandsupporting the tray out of the body in a substantially horizontal plane wholly out of direct contactingengagement with either the body or the cover and without. ivotal movement of the pivotal connections. between the tray and body into engagement with the rear wall of the body or into engagement with stops on the ends of. the body.

A still further object of the invention resides in the-provision of atray swingingly mounted on a chest box or container body and a cover thereof for swinging movement under the influence of bpening and closing movements of the cover and inwhich structure peculiar, new and novel devices or members, eachformed alike, and interchangeable and reversible, are employed as the means providing for the pivotal connection between the tray and the cover and which include means for arresting the outward swinging movement of the cover.

It is still further designed to provide a chest of the variety employing a tray pivotally connected to the chest body and to the usual 'marginally flanged cover thereof for swinging movements into and out of the chest body and in which structure the pivotal means betweenthe cover and the tray is simple, inexpensive,.light, requiring va small amount of. material andlocated within the cover between .theends of the latter and the ends of the tray and arranged against projection in whole or in part from or beyond the free edges of the flanges of the coverand including means to arrest and limit outward swinging movement of the cover.

It is further designed .to provide an article of manufactureof the naturestated embodyinga body and a cover hinged to the body in .combination with a tray movable into and out of the body on a swinging link. supporting the'front portion. of the tray. and means carried by the ,cover for pivotally supporting the tray clear of. the bodyand the cover for floating movement through a limited .arc and including a stop .for the tray and the cover at therearward limit of such floating movement of the tray.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new article of manufacture in .the nature of an unitary device for pivotally supporting. a tray to a swinging cover of a container and to arrest and limit outward swing of the cover and. tray and embodying a one-piece.membercomprising anintermediate attaching portion and spaced portions projecting. laterally from .said intermediate portion, one of said laterally projecting spacedportions being designed to effect a pivotal connection betweenthecover and the tray and the other laterally projecting portion adapted to providea stop to arrest and. limit outward swing of. the cover.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consistsof an unitary article of manufacture and in the construction and novel combination and .arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described,.illustrated in the accompanying drawings .and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, withinthe scopeoi theclaims, 40 may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the:advantages of the invention. 7

Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustrating the-cover in open position.

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation with the-cover in open position.

Fig. 31s a transverse sectional view on the line 3-'-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig.4 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig; 5-'is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 5-5"ot"Fig.3.'

panying drawings, the reference character A in dicates a chest, box or containerbody. composed of metal or of any other suitable material and of any size and ornamentation, including front and rear walls I and 2, respectively, connected by end walls 3. The upper edge of the rear wall 2 termi nates preferably slightly below the horizontal plane of the upper edges of the front and end walls of the body, saving material.

A cover B of metal or any other suitable material is hingedly connected to the upper portion of the rear wall of the chest, box or container, by means of suitable hinges, in this particular instance, such as hinges 4. The cover has front and rear flanges 5 and 6, respectively, connected by the end flanges I.

A tray C of metal or any other suitable material of a length preferably slightly less than the length of the body and the cover is associated with the body and the cover for swinging or floating movement into and out of the body, under the influence of closing and opening swinging movements of the cover B.

Suitable connecting means is arranged between the tray and the body and the cover for the purpose just stated, and these connections are such that the tray ismaintained at alltimes in a sub stantially horizontal plane. The connections are formed, arranged and associated with the body,

. cover and tray in such a manner as to maintain the tray out of contact with the body and the cover, providing for clearance and for consequent free and easy movement of the tray. These connections are so constructed as to arrest or limit opening swinging movement of the cover without direct metal to metal engagement of the tray itself with any portion of the body or the cover, as will appear more clearlyhereinafter.

The tray may be of any suitable length and it may be of any suitable interior arrangement. As illustrated, the tray is subdivided by means of removable division members 8, such as are illustrated and described in the patent to Pratt, No. 1,973,825, September 18, 1934, and'to which division members I make no claim in this application. There is illustrated a long compartment 9 and the shorter compartments l0 resulting from the division members 8. a

It is preferred to provide a demountable tray so that it may be readily removed at any time or readily associated with the chest when desired. To these ends, suitable links I l are pivotally and removably connected at their upper ends to the ends of the tray at the front portion of the latter and these links II have their lower ends removably pivoted to the end walls 3 of the chest box or container body as at I2. These links H are substantially the same in form and are positionable and removable as in' the use of the front links of the tray disclosed in the aforesaid patent to Pratt,

and they are mounted in substantially the same The rear portion of the tray is connected to the cover in a new and novel manner. For this purpose, I provide suitable pivotal means provided with stops, and the same may be termed a com bined pivotal means and stop structure which is connected to the cover and the tray, preferably meet each end of the cover and the tray, and confined within the cover between the end flanges of the cover and the tray, obviating the projection of any part of said combined device beyond the free edges of the flanges of the cover. To these ends, I provide a substantially U-shaped member D arranged one preferably at each end of the tray. Each member D includes an intermediate flattened or other bight portion 13, a leg l4 forming a pivot and a leg l5 forming a stop. The free ends of the legs l4 and I5 are reduced, as indicated at IT. The bight portion l3 of each member D is secured in any suitable manner to the inner face of the respective end flange I of the cover B, preferably by welding the connection of the bight portion l3 with the respective flange portion of the cover.

The tray C has a pivot bearing 16 in each end wall adjacent the rear portion of the tray to loosely receive the pivot leg ll of the respective member D to pivot the rear of the tray at its ends to the end of the cover.

The members D are first secured to the inner faces of the end flanges of the cover and the ends of the tray sprung inwardly and the end flanges of the cover sprung outwardly or one or the other sprung inwardly or outwardly in order to permit of the insertion of the pivots M in the respective pivot bearings I6. Each pivot leg M is preferably reduced at its free end, as at H, as previously stated, and this reduced portion of each pivot is deflected laterally upwardly or otherwise by means of any suitable hand tool for the purpose of disposing the bent reduced portions l1, adjacent the inner faces of the ends of the tray to prevent accidental disconnection of the tray from the pivots so that by a springing action on the tray or end flanges of the cover or either or both, a disconnection of the tray from the pivots l4 may be readily effected and the aforesaid links previously or subsequently removed from the tray and container body.

When the tray is pivotally mounted on the U- shaped members, as previously stated, the opening movement of the cover carries the tray upwardly out of the body, incident to said pivotally mounted links II and the said members D between the tray, body and the cover, swinging the rear portion of the tray upwardly over, above and slightly beyond the rear wall of the body in spaced relation to the upper edge of said rear wall and in spaced relation to the rear flange of the cover until the rear of the tray rides into or swings into contact with the stop elements 15 of the combined pivotal means and stop members D, arresting rearward movement of the tray and cover, and thereby suspending or supporting the tray wholly on its pivots and said links and completely spaced from all parts of the body and cover.

The peculiar mounting of the tray maintains the tray at all times out of direct engagement with the box body and cover, providing against mom-pee any binding action'between the tray and the body or coverand eife'cting'free'and easy swinging movements ofthe tray, obviating scraping of the topedges of the wallsof the 'body' or the edges of the flanges of the cover, preventing marring of the same-incident tometal to metal engagement as in a. case where the tray would have direct contacting engagement with the rear wall of the body or the sides thereof or direct contactingengagement with the flanges of "the cover.

A- lock of any suitable character is indicated such a manner as to provide for effective registrat-ionbetween the upper and lower portions "of the lock-devices as same come together.-

It will be seen from the foregoing that the combined pivotal and stop members D at both ends of the tray are identical, and that either maybe used at either end of the cover, eliminating rights and lofts." The members D are not onlyinterchangeable but, being formed alike, they'are reversible, and either leg I or I5 maybe used as the tray pivotal connection with the cover and the other leg for the stop.

In another. embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figs. 7 to 9,' inclusive, the general combination of elements is'the same as'heretofore described; but a. slight change in the formof the bracket or combined pivotal. and stop member D is to be noted. As shown, the members D are formed alike and they, like members .D, are capable .of interchangeable and reversible use. Each member D consists of an intermediate-flat or other bight portion l3 having laterally directed leg portions l4 and I5, each reduced at its free end as at IT with the reduced portion H of each leg portion l4 normally deflected 0r bent lat.- erally and in such form secured at the bight portion I3 to the. end. flanges .1" of the cover B by welding or otherwise. By reason of sameness in form of both members D, rights and lefts are eliminated and either reversible as to position. For instance, the reduced end I? of the leg portion l4 of one member D" is shown as extended upwardly and over which the bearing opening 16' of the tray C may be passed onto the pivot l4, and the opposite leg portion l5 having its reduced end ll" straight .or in alignment with the pivot I4 is positioned in the respective bearing opening l6 of the tray and subsequently the. reduced .portion I1 is deflected or bent laterally inany suitable manner to efiect positive pivotal positioning of the tray C to the cover. In this arrangement, the members D are shown as reversed with relation to each other .and requires the lateral deflection of the reduced end of only one leg portion or pivot to secure the tray in operative pivotal position against displacement or becoming loose incident to shocks, distortion or abuse, due to handling in shipment. To disconnect-the tray from the cover B in either form described, it is only necessary to bend the reduced end of one of the pivots into alignment with the body of such pivot, when the tray can be readily lifted oi the members D 'and Dfi' In both forms of members D and D same can-be-used at either'end of'the container cover and in both forms the same are reversible.

In bothfo'rms of the invention, the body, cover and tray are efie'ctively tied together and the tray may be readily mounted at the factory by simple manipulationv and by more or less inexpensive he1p,-- tne front supporting links being readily positioned by hand andby hand manipulation with a suitable-tool (not shown), one or both pivotal elements between the tray and cover may be easily and quickly bent for mounting or dismounting purposes;

The'stop elements of-the members D and D limit the backward or outward swinging movement of the cover when the tray moves outwardly into-engagement therewith, and it is possible to change-or increase this outward or backward movement of the cover by increasing the distance between the centers of the tray support and stop. If desired, the leg portions l4 and I5 and I4 and l'5'= of the respective members D and D need not necessarily be arranged in parallelism, and the portions l4, l5, l4 and I5 forming, if desired, interchangeable pivots or stops, need not be necessarily connected'bytheir illustrated bight or connecting portions l3 and I3.

What is claimed is:

1. A' chest or the like comprising a body, the 0 rear wall-of which terminates at its upper edge in a horizontal plane lower than the upper edges of the horizontal planes ofthe-front and end walls,

a cover hinged to the rear wall of the body, a tray, means pivotally connecting the tray at its front portion to the body, means for pivoting the tray at the rear portion thereof to the cover so as to permit swinging movements of the tray into and out of -'the body on the first-mentioned pivotal means under the influence of opening and closing movements of the coverwith relation to the body, and a stop carried by'and projecting from the cover into the path of outward swinging movement of the tray-for direct engagement by the latter to limit the opening swinging movement of the cover;

2. A chest or the 'like comprising a box-like body, a 'cover hinged to the rear wall of the body, a. tray, means pivotallyconnecting the tray atthe front portion thereof to the body, means for-pivoting the-tray at the rear portion thereof to the cover'so as to permit swinging movements of the tray into and out of the body on the firstmentioned pivotal means incident to swinging movements of the cover on the body, and a stop projecting'from the cover into the path of outward swinging movement of the tray for direct engagement by the latter to limit the opening swinging movement of the cover .and to thereby support the tray between the first-mentioned pivotal means and the cover in spaced relation to and above the rear wallof the body.

31. A chest or the like comprising a body, a cover hinged ,to the body, a tray, a link pivotally connected t th tray at .the fr'ont portion thereof andv pivotally connected to the' body for swinging movement relative to the body, and means carried by the cover for pivotally supporting the tray at the rear portion of the latter to permit swinging movements of the tray on said swinging link into and out of the body under the influence of opening and closing movements of the cover and including a stop for engagement by the tray as the tray moves outwardly of the body incident swinging movements of the tray on said swinging link into and out of the body under the influence of opening and closing movements of the cover and including a stop for engagement by the tray as the tray moves outwardly of the body incident to outward swinging of the cover to limit the rearward outward swinging movement of the cover and to support the tray on said link and the pivotally supporting means on the cover clear of the walls of the body and spaced from the cover when the cover is at the limit of its outward movement.

5. A chest or the like comprising a box-like body, a marginally flanged cover hinged to the body at the rear of the latter, a tray pivotally -connected to the body and cover to swing under influence of opening and closing movements of the cover, and means confined within the marginal flanges of the cover and carried by the cover and engageable by the tray on outward movement of the latter to limit the opening swinging movement of the cover.

'6. A chest or the like comprising a box-like body, a marginally flanged cover hinged to the 7 body at the rear of the latter, a tray pivotally connected to the body and cover to swing under influence of opening and closing movements of the cover, and means confined within the marginal flanges of the cover and carried by the cover and engageable by the tray on outward movement of the latter to limit the opening swinging movement of the cover and tray and to suspend and support the tray over the body and cover in spaced relation to the wallsof the body and the flanges of the cover. v

7. A chest comprising a box-like body and a cover hinged to the body at the rear thereof, a tray, links pivotally connecting the tray to the body, and a combined pivotal means and stop connected to the tray and the cover, one at each end of the cover and tray, to pivot the tray to the cover and to engage the rear of the tray in the open position of the cover to limit the open- 7 ing swinging movement of the cover.

8. A chest comprising a box-like body and a coverhinged to the body at the rear thereof, a tray, links pivotally connecting the tray to the body, and a combined pivotal means andstop connected to the tray and the cover, one at each end of the cover and tray, to pivot the tray to the cover and to engage the rear of the tray in the open position of the cover to limit the opening swinging movement of the cover, each of said combined pivotal means and stop being provided with means to limit longitudinal movement of the tray relative to the cover and body.

9. A chest comprising a box-like body and a cover fixed to the body at the rear'thereof, a tray, links pivotally connected to the ends of the tray and also pivotally connected to the ends of the body for swinging movement, and a U-shaped member including a bight portion and short leg portions and secured one at each end of the cover, one leg portion of each U-shaped member having pivotal connection with the tray at the rear portion of the latter whereby in combination with the aforesaid links to permit movement of the tray into and out of the box-like body under influence of closing and opening movement of the cover, the other leg member of each U-shaped member constituting a stop for engagement by the tray upon rearward movement of the tray incident to opening movement of the cover to arrest outward swinging movement of the cover.

10. A chest or the like comprising a box-like body, a cover, a tray, 21. pair of links pivotally mounted onthe body and pivotally connected to the tray tosupport the front portion of the latter, a pair of devices carried by the cover, one at each end thereof, pivotally connecting the rear portion of the tray to the cover and to limit the rearward swinging movement of the tray to limit the rearward swinging movement of the cover, each of said devices consisting of similarly formed reversible and interchangeable members each having an intermediate portion for attachment to the cover, and projecting leg'portions, 9

one of the projecting leg portions forming a pivot for the tray and the other projecting leg portion forming a stop for engagement by the tray to limit outward swinging movement of the cover and tray.

11. A chest comprising a box-like body and a cover fixed to the body at the rear thereof, a tray, links pivotally connected to the ends of the tray and also pivotally connected to the ends of the body for swinging movement, and a U-shaped member including a bight portion and short leg portions and secured one at each end of the cover,

one leg portion of each U-shaped member having pivotal connection with the tray at the rear portion of the latter whereby in combination with the aforesaid links to permit movement of the tray into and out of the box-like body under influence of closing and opening movement of the cover, the other leg member of each U-shaped member constituting a stop for engagement by the tray upon rearward movement of the tray incident to opening movement of the cover to arrest outward swinging movement of the cover and to support the tray on its pivotal mounting means in spaced relation to the rear wall of the box-like body.

12. A new article of manufacture for pivotally supporting a tray to a swinging cover for containers and to arrest outward swinging movement of the cover and tray including a singlepiece member consisting of an intermediate attaching portion fixed to the cover when in use and spaced pivot and stop portions rigid with and extending laterally from said intermediate portion.

HARVEY H. YAWMAN. 

